Men's Basketball October 20, 2025 Claire Gay

UMW Men’s Basketball Lands T-2nd in 2025-26 Frontier Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Helena, Mont. – Montana Western Men's Basketball tied for second in the 2025-26 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league office announced Monday.

The Bulldogs were edged out by reigning conference champion Montana Tech, who landed the top spot in the poll, while sharing second place with Carroll.

"It is always nice to see our program recognized, but we know the real work lies ahead and this poll doesn't guarantee us anything," Head Coach Patrick Jensen said. "We're focused on improvement and proving what this group can accomplish when the season begins."

The Bulldogs are coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish fourth in the Frontier with a 16-13 overall record (8-7 in conference play).

Coach Jensen returns eight student-athletes from last year's team, including senior Kyle Gruhler, who led the team in rebounds (6.5) and ranked second in scoring (14.7) in 2024-25.

Also back for the Bulldogs are redshirt-seniors Jacob Ankeny, Jacksen Burckley, Carson Denning, and Kolter Merritt, senior Quincy Taylor, redshirt-sophomore Billy Carlson, and redshirt-freshman River Hurley. Ankeny and Burckley both appeared in all 29 games for UMW last season.

New to the squad this season are freshmen Kyler Engellant and Ben Erbacher, as well as transfers Joshua Whiteside, Trayce Atkins, David Young, Mark Huber, and Emanuel Steward. The new additions will add strength and big-game experience to the 2025-26 roster.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs open the season on the road at Evergreen State Oct. 26 before returning to Straugh Gymnasium Oct. 30-31 to host the 2025 Montana Western Tournament.

2025-26 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	Total Points
1	Montana Tech (11)	121
T2	Carroll	89
T2	Montana Western (1)	89
4	Providence	81
5	Dickinson State	75
6	Rocky Mountain	73
7	Bellevue	71
8	Mayville State	53
9	Dakota State	50
10	MSU-Northern	39
11	Valley City State	34
12	Bismarck State	17

For complete coverage of UMW Men's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umwesternbball (Instagram), @UMWesternBball (X), and @Montana Western Men's Basketball (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

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Players Mentioned

#32 Jacob Ankeny: F; 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior

#4 Billy Carlson: G; 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

#23 Kyle Gruhler: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#21 Kolter Merritt: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#34 Jacksen Burckley: F; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

#22 Carson Denning: F; 6' 7"; Redshirt Senior

#2 River Hurley: F; 6' 7"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Quincy Taylor: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#1 Emanuel Steward: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#5 Joshua Whiteside: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#10 Kyler Engellant: F; 6' 6"; Freshman

#11 Trayce Atkins: G; 6' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#32 Jacob Ankeny
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#4 Billy Carlson
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#23 Kyle Gruhler
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#21 Kolter Merritt
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#34 Jacksen Burckley
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#22 Carson Denning
: 6' 7"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#2 River Hurley
: 6' 7"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#0 Quincy Taylor
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#1 Emanuel Steward
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#5 Joshua Whiteside
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#10 Kyler Engellant
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: F

#11 Trayce Atkins
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G